Sweet and tart, with a perfect lemonade flavor made with fresh lemons and blueberries - this Blueberry Vodka Lemonade is an easy-to-make refreshing cocktail on hot summer days.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, and blueberries. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, smashing the berries as they soften.
1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water, 1 cup fresh blueberries
Remove from heat and strain out the berries through a fine-mesh sieve, being careful to not press the berries through but rather let the syrup strain out on its own. Discard the berry remnants.
Lemonade
Meanwhile, juice the lemons until you've reached 2 cups. Transfer the juice to a large pitcher and stir in the blueberry syrup. Add water and taste test; add more water if needed, depending on your desired tartness level. Once added, the ice will melt and further dilute the lemonade.
If you're planning on making single-serving cocktails, store the lemonade in the fridge without ice and enjoy it within 4 days.
Individual Cocktails: Fill lowball glass(es) with ice and pour 1 1/2 - 2 ounces of vodka into each glass. Then, top each glass with 4 ounces of blueberry lemonade, stirring to combine. Garnish as desired.
Pitcher for a Crowd: add 3 - 3 ¼ cups vodka to the pitcher of prepared blueberry lemonade. If serving immediately, add ice to the pitcher. If serving later, store the lemonade in the fridge without the ice. Then add ice to individual glasses and/or the pitcher before serving.
Notes
1 lemonade cocktail = 4 ounces lemonade and 2 ounces vodka. Reduce vodka for a less-strong drink.
Syrup: this recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 cups of syrup.
Serving Size will depend on how much water you add. With the recommended 3 cups of water, you will have about 6 1/2 cups of lemonade, serving anywhere from 8-10 people.
Too Tart: add more water or additional sugar/simple syrup.